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This week’s set is 1974 Smuggler’s Hayride.

Smuggler’s Hayride, part of a three set bonus pack, was released in 1989. This hay cart comes with a peasant, a forestman, a hidden treasure chest under hay, a pitchfork and other accessories.

I rarely do set reviews. But this one is a must for me. This little gem was gifted to me without me realizing it was in the box. I had a pitchfork for a long time before I realized that it was something rare. The build, is good. The figs..are lovely. The pitchfork is SWEET. Overall this is one of the few sets I have kept together and do not plan on taking apart. It is simplicity at its best and a good example of classic.

This set has always held a special place for me. I had 2 of these growing up and only years later did I realize how lucky I was to have pitchforks when others were scrambling to get them. As some of my first castle sets I was able to extend the playability of these quite a bit. And during those times when the cart got dismantled, the fences were perfect for building up the infrastructure of my city.

Overall I'd give it a 5/5 because it conveys a solid idea without much fuss and is still an icon of the early castle sets that everyone seems to want.

First of all a set of a very good theme, all the Forestmen an Dark Forest sets are very good.

This little set is very good too, with all the aspects of the "good outlaw's" present. A nice looking peasant cart with horse loaded with hay and a hidden treasurebox, one disguised outlaw and a forestman. It is very complete and a great addition to other Forestmen or other Classic Castle sets. Parts are very good, esspecially the peasant with the pitchfork. The only thing you could mention as missing is an extra minifigure of an opposite party.

Being part of a US only 3 set package-deal this is not an easy set to find. I was fortunate to find it on the Dutch auctionsite for a reasonable price. Overall I advise you to get it even though it is now an expensive set if you want it.

Nearly a perfect set from the Forestmen/Castle theme. Only nearly perfect in that the crowd control barriers from the Town series seem(ed) out of place on the cart. If they had any brains they would have re-imagined and rereleased this set with those pieces replaced by the large pasture fences that became available later in the 1990s in Belville, Town and Western sets. Other than that, this one was a beaut.

There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination. Living there, you'll be free if you truly wish to be. -Willy Wonka, 1971-

Not as cool as the strangely named Crusader Cart, but a fun and clever design that does a lot with very few elements.

The thing I like most about these older sets is that they don't waste elements on fluff. Everything included is vital to the design, and any excess has been trimmed. Less is more. TLG didn't feel the need to put in guards to search the cart, tree-mallets to smash the cart, horse-mounted catapults to attack the cart, tusks and flames to decorate the cart, rats to run from the cart, or any other such nonsense. When you buy this, you are buying a smuggler's cart. What you do with that smuggler's cart is up to you and your imagination rather than some action sequence displayed on the packaging.

My only complaint would be that the hinges on the sides of this cart do not hold up very well.